The Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed unprecedented stability, considering the usual turnover rate in the NFL, and Mike Tomlin is a big reason for the team's current version of consistency. Everyone knows about Tomlin's streak of non-losing seasons, but what is lurking behind those positive statistics are losses that should have been straight-forward Steelers’ victories. During the Tomlin era, there have been more than a few games where Pittsburgh entered as favorites but left as losers, and the fans remember those painful moments. Ahead of their 2023 Week 13 game against the Arizona Cardinals, a topic of Pittsburgh radio has been not worrying about a Tomlin-esque loss because of the Steelers quarterback situation.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett targets Pat Freiermuth during a game against the AFC North Cincinnati Bengals
Steelers Were Favored Because Of Ben Roethlisberger
On Friday, The PM Team with Poni & Mueller discussed whether Steelers fans should be concerned about an upset loss to the Cardinals in Week 13. During the 17 seasons that Tomlin has been the head coach of the Steelers, there have been games where Pittsburgh was expected to win, and yet, the exact opposite ended up happening. A loss to the 2-10 then-Oakland Raiders in 2018 stunned the Steelers, who were in the thick of the playoff race at the time. Then, of course, there was the 2021 Wild Card defeat suffered at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, another moment that was not supposed to happen.
While the losses hurt, the point is that the Steelers were favored in those games in large part because of the quarterback leading them. In his 18 seasons as quarterback for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger was a major factor in many of their wins and a reason for them being favorites. However, Mueller noted that in 2023, the Steelers do not have that sure thing at quarterback, and that skews the picture a bit.
"In the sense that people talk about these games as Tomlin losses...this team doesn't have that on their, like, outcome card because they don't have a good enough quarterback yet. We're still finding out what the quarterback is ultimately gonna turn into."
Despite a positive end to the 2022 season and a glimpse of excellence in their 2023 Week 12 victory, Kenny Pickett cannot be called elite or anything close to what Roethlisberger was to the Steelers. Not enough time has passed, and we haven't seen nearly enough of the young passer to know what he is, so in Mueller's eyes, this can't be seen as a usual game where Pittsburgh is favored. While there might be a general concern that the team will regress back to the Matt Canada days of the offense, it won't be like the games in the past where the Steelers entered as favorites.
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Pittsburgh Steelers retired quarterback Ben Roethlisberger always gave his team a chance of winning no matter what
Steelers Being Favorites Looks Different This Time Around
The 2023 Steelers do not have a grizzled NFL veteran at quarterback to ensure that, no matter what, they have a chance at winning the game. However, the Steelers have had more than a few close calls during the 2023 season, so rather than relying on a single factor, Pittsburgh's victories could be considered more of a team effort.
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Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada never showed any proof that he was a competent NFL coordinator
After shedding themselves of their Canda-sized burden, the Steelers showed a bit of what they are capable of in their 2023 Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Sitting at 7-4 and in control of their own playoff destiny, the Steelers understand that to find continued success, they will need every single player to contribute. Being favored might look good on paper, but Mueller warned that those odds are simply a reflection of how bad the Cardinals are rather than a vote of confidence in Pickett.
"You can be favored like you have a good one [quarterback]; that means the other team is really bad."
Within the locker room, the team may have unending confidence in their second-year quarterback, but Pickett still has plenty left to prove to the rest of the league. Having that first-round status means the expectations are higher; that is just a fact. After the offense looked a little more like they did in the 2023 preseason, though, perhaps Pickett is on the verge of proving to all of us exactly why he is the starting quarterback for the Steelers.
What will the final record for the 2023 Steelers be? Will that be enough to make the 2023 postseason?
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